Osteospermum plant named ‘Duetispodepur’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Osteospermum  plant named ‘Duetispodepur’, characterized by its uniformly mounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching growth habit; full and dense plants; freely and early flowering habit; and large inflorescences with spoon-shaped dark purple-colored ray florets.

Botanical designation: Osteospermum ecklonis.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Duetispodepur’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum plant, botanically known as Osteospermum ecklonis, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Duetispodepur’.

The new Osteospermum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Osteospermum cultivars with uniform plant habit, early flowering and interesting floret coloration.

The new Osteospermum originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in July, 2001 of a proprietary selection of Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number E-813, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unnamed proprietary selection of Osteosperumum ecklonis, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Osteospermum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Rheinberg, Germany in July, 2002.

Asexual reproduction of the new Osteospermum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Rheinberg, Germany in July, 2004. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Osteospermum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Duetispodepur has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Duetispodepur’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Duetispodepur’ as a new and distinct Osteospermum:

-   -   1. Uniformly mounded plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching growth habit; full and dense plants.     -   4. Freely and early flowering habit.     -   5. Large inflorescences with spoon-shaped dark purple-colored         ray florets.

Plants of the new Osteosperumum differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in ray floret shape as plants of the parent selections have elongated oblong-shaped ray florets. In addition, plants of the new Osteospermum are more vigorous than plants of the parent selections.

Plants of the new Osteospermum can be compared to plants of the Osteospermum cultivar Nasinga Purple, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Rheinberg, Germany, plants of the new Osteospermum differed from plants of the cultivar Nasinga Purple in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Osteospermum had smaller leaves than plants         of the cultivar Nasinga Purple.     -   2. Plants of the new Osteospermum and the cultivar Nastinga         Purple differed in ray floret coloration as plants of the         cultivar Nasinga Purple had lighter purple-colored ray florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Osteospermum showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Osteospermum. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Duetispodepur’ grown in container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photograph, following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the spring in Rheinberg, Germany, in a glass-covered greenhouse and under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial Osteospermum production. Single plants were grown in 13-cm containers and pinched about one week after planting. During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures were about 18° C. and light levels were about 4,500 foot-candles. Plants used in the photograph and for the botanical description were about four months old.

-   Botanical classification: Osteospermum ecklonis cultivar     Duetispodepur. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Osteospermum ecklonis identified as code number E-813, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed selection of Osteospermum             ecklonis, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.—About 10 days at             20° C.         -   Time to develop roots, summer and winter.—About three weeks             at 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous, fine; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous container and garden plant.             Uniformly mounded plant habit; upright and somewhat             outwardly spreading; inverted triangle. Freely branching,             about six primary lateral branches; dense and full plants.             Moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 16.5 cm.         -   Plant width or area of spread.—About 15 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 15 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm.             Internode length: About 5 mm. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Glabrous, smooth. Color: 144B.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple. Length:             About 7.2 cm. Width: About 2.1 cm. Shape: Spatulate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Dentate; sinuses divergent.             Venation pattern: Pinnate. Texture, upper surface: Leathery;             pubescent. Texture, lower surface: Leathery; glabrous.             Color: Developing foliage, upper surface: 137B. Developing             foliage, lower surface: 144A. Fully expanded foliage, upper             surface: 137A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137B             to 137C. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: 144B. Petiole:             Length: About 7 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Glabrous. Color, upper surface: 144A to             144B. Color, lower surface: 144A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Terminal and axillary inflorescences held above             and beyond the foliage. Composite inflorescence form,             radially symmetrical, with spoon-shaped ray florets and disc             florets massed at the center; ray and disc florets arranged             acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences face upright or             outwardly.         -   Flowering response.—Plants flower continuous and freely from             the spring through the summer. Early flowering, plants begin             to flower about six weeks after planting.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three days on the plant.             Inflorescences not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering; about 45 open             inflorescences and inflorescence buds per plant.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Length: About 1.3 cm. Diameter: About             1 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: 137B and 144C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.6 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.5 cm. Disc diameter: About 1.2 cm. Receptacle             diameter: About 4 mm. Receptacle height: About 3 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 2.6 cm. Width: About 5.3 mm.             Shape: Spoon-shaped. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Obtuse. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous.             Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 24 in one to             two whorls. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper             surface: 71A and 79B. When opening and fully opened, lower             surface: 72A and 79B.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed.             Length: About 5 mm. Width: At apex: About 2 mm. At base:             Less than 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence:             About 50. Color, apex: Close to 97B. Color, mid-section and             base: Close to 155A to 157A.         -   Phyllaries.—Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Apiculate. Base: Acute. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Leathery. Number             per inflorescence: About 18. Color, upper surface: 137B to             137C. Color, lower surface: 137C.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 8.8 cm.             Diameter: About 1.7 mm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Leathery.             Color: 144A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Stamen number: Five per floret; fused around style.             Anther shape: Oblong. Anther length: About 2 mm. Anther             color: 79B. Pollen amount: Abundant. Pollen color: 23A.             Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Pistil             number: One per floret. Pistil length: About 7 mm. Stigma             shape: Two-parted. Stigma color: 79A. Style length: About             3 mm. Style color: 79A. Ovary color: 144C.         -   Seed.—Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Color: 199A. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Osteospermums has not been observed on plants grown under commercial     greenhouse or outdoor conditions. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Osteospermum have been     observed to tolerate temperatures from about 5° C. to about 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum plant named ‘Duetispodepur’, as illustrated and described. 